Why Victor Osimhen needs to be protected for AFCON 2023

Victor Osimhen remains the only striker who is currently uninjured for Nigeria

Before Nigeria begins their Africa Cup of Nations 2023 title campaign, they might need to encase star striker Victor Osimhen in cotton wool, isolate him, surround him throughout training and check the surface for anything that could hurt him.

Paul Onuachu was selected instead of the ailing Sadiq Umar, who sustained a knee injury in Monday’s friendly match against Guinea and became the third alternative player to be summoned up for Nigeria before the team’s debut against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday.

Only a few days he had passed after Victor Boniface was also forced to retire due to injuries when Umar left. The day Umar was leaving the team, the striker for Bayer Leverkusen had surgery. Terem Moffi, a forward for OGC Nice, took his spot.

Due to their recent bad luck, the Super Eagles will enter Africa’s premier championship lacking no fewer than five of their top players. The team that was formerly dominated by formidable strikers such as Osimhen, Taiwo Awoniyi, Boniface, Kelechi Iheanacho, Ademola Lookman, and Umar is now reduced to nearly scraping the bottom of the pail in search of goal-scoring strikers.

As a result, just 19 outfield players are available for play against the Equato-Guineans for coach José Peseiro. Osimhen is the only true striker among them, but the Portuguese could also turn to Ahmed Musa and Ademola Lookman as backups if necessary due to their adaptability.

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That being said, Peseiro has two problems. Firstly, Moffi and Onuachu, the two late replacements, won’t be able to train with the remainder of the team before the first game.

Second, Peseiro needs to choose one striker today, unlike before when he struggled with selection, particularly up front. Because of this, the Super Eagles must keep Osimhen healthy at all expenses, as the team is currently only one injury away from being without a striker.

Joseph Yobo, a former defensive player who commanded the club during their most recent championship in 2013, said to ESPN that the team might need to shield Victor Osimhen from himself:

“Osimhen trains the way he plays. That’s just the way he is, he gives everything! He doesn’t like to lose, whether it is training or a game. It is the one thing I like about him.

“Whatever you see in games, I saw it in training. It is now up to him, does he want to tone it down in training to avoid injury? The defenders may have to tell him to calm down. Although as things stand, our defenders are also fighting for spots on the team so every one will want to go hard too.

“But they have to now consider that he is our best source of goals so we as a team need to protect him.”

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